Never Alone
by Katie237
Summary: Sometime after Paradox, Jay comes back to Earth 1 while Barry is dealing with the escape of an old enemy. When Barry gets badly hurt on the mission and confusion hit him, he starts having trouble telling the difference between Jay and his dad. Short fic. AU on how Jay found out he's Henry's doppelganger.
1. Dad

**A/N: Here I am, back at writing. I started this fiction before 3x01 aired, based on the 3x02 promo pics and an interview with John Wesley Shipp saying Jay has doubts in Barry's abilities of being a hero. I almost didn't publish it after 3x02 aired since they put that line of Jay saying he knows about being Henry's doppelganger. Still decided to finish that chapter thinking I needed something bigger than one quick line for that revelation. Enjoy!**

 **Let me know if you want me to finish this or think we don't need it since Jay already knows about that in the show.**

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''Flash ? Where are you? Flash? Dammit Barry, answer me!'' Kept on calling Jay Garrick, Earth 3.0's Flash, not even realizing he called the speedster by his first name.

Jay was interrupted in his shouts for the other Flash by his own coughing, caused by all the surrounding dust still in the air created by the falling debris who were now covering the ground of this underground train tunnel. Jay and Barry were tracking down Geomancer who found a way to escape Iron Height and was hellbent on taking his revenge against the Flash and the whole town. They tracked him to the underground train tunnels, but not before the Metahuman had a chance to start one of his biggest earthquake yet. Considering how long it's been since the last report of the second Flash in town, Geomancer might have thought that there was no longer a second one or maybe that even two of them combined couldn't catch him and save everyone at the same time.

He was wrong. At least, mostly wrong.

While Jay was able to apprehend him pretty fast, he could see that even Barry had slim to no chances to get everyone out as the tunnel was collapsing. But, of course, this kid just had to keep zipping in and out as fast as he possibly could.

''It's too late!'' Screamed Jay, sprinting next to the younger speedster, ''Don't go back in there. ''

''I have to! Need to make sure everyone's out!''

''Dammit kid!'' swore Earth 3's Flash under his breath, speeding up to keep up with Barry who was pushing himself at top speed.

Even for a speedster, what came after that happened fast, too fast. Jay remembered everything falling, something hitting his back and everything going black. As he woke up, it was impossible to say how much time passed and while nothing was falling at the moment, there was no telling if the rest of the roof wasn't going to fall on them too. Luckily, by some kind of miracle, there was still electricity passing by, lighting the tunnel with the remaining unbroken lights in the tunnel. It wasn't giving much light, but just enough to discern where Jay was putting his feet off, walking around, and looking for the others speedster. Jay was working hard at repressing the grunts and the pain caused by moving around. He definitely had at least one bruised, if not broken, rib and his left ankle that he moved from under the broken pieces of metal was clearly broken, feeling like hell. Not to mention that his back was killing him right now.

Looking around in the debris scattered and piled up all over, Jay started to wonder if, maybe, the Scarlet Speedster found a way out before the exit was cut off. That was until he heard noises and stuff falling off a pile.

''Barry?'' He asked quietly, rushing to the provenance of the sound, in time to see a red hand barely making it out of the pile, barely moving.

''Hang in there, I'm here.'' All the sudden, he felt almost connected to this kid. Why was that? With all the selfish thing Barry's been doing in the last couple of days, it was hard picturing him as the great hero he thought the kid was after the Zoom rescue. But, despite of that, Barry just risked everything to take everyone out and went back to make sure of it. How can someone be that selfish and selfless at the same time?

Jay couldn't put his fingers on why, but this kid reminded him of himself, his younger self. He couldn't tell why he cared, but at this very moment, he did.

Slowly hurrying, wanting to free the young man as fast as possible but not wanting to disturb or move the younger Flash around if he was injured, Jay pushed away the debris surrounding the speedster. Moments later, the older speedster finally uncovered a masked face, most of the upper body and Barry's left arm. Barry's face was covered with marks, scratches and blood, his eyes closed.

''Can you hear me? Barry?'' He tried again, hoping for any kind of response, which he got in the form of groaning and slowly opening eyelids. The joy quickly transformed into worried when he saw the pain in the green eyes.

''Where are you hurt?''

''I…fi..arg!'' Before the young speedster could finish his sentence, he clenched his jaw and tried to escape a sharp pain right after trying to move the slightest.

''Don't move!''

Freeing the rest of the Flash's body, Jay finally found the source of the Scarlett Speedster's pain: a long piece of metal sticking out of Barry's side, impaled in him. The younger hero shifted a little, desperate to escape the pain, only succeeding in letting out another cry of pain.

''Dammit kid, I said don't move!''

Jay wasn't much of a doctor and the lighting wasn't so great to see the extent of the damage, but he knew it couldn't be good. There was blood all around the wound and probably way more blood lost under the skin, no telling how bad the internal damages and bleeding were. The kid weakly lifted his head to look at the other Flash, barely focusing on the other man, slightly opening his mouth as he wanted to say something, but nothing came out. Barry ended up closing his eyes tightly, his breathing shortened, growing weaker.

''I'll found a way out, I'll be back.''

The Flash from the other Earth limped around as quickly as he could on his bad ankle. There was a pretty big pile of rubble right next to their position completely blocking the way and while it wasn't completely blocked on the other side, it wasn't much better. The immobilized train was taking most of the space, debris were piled up and taking most of the surrounding space around it. Going over them wasn't impossible, but would require lots of climbing and time, sometime they couldn't do in their current position. What could Jay possibly do? Without any medical background and the medical equipment, there was nothing the speedster could do for the kid and without treatment, Barry was only going to get worse until…

Staying still wasn't an option. Nor was taking the piece out of his chest and running away 'til he bleed out. Jay considered taking the boy out of there in his current state, but with his bad ankle and the boy's condition, there was no way he could climb themselves out of there without causing the boy horrible pain. Not to mention without making the wound even worse. Was leaving Barry behind an option? Maybe it was the only one at the moment. Leaving to go find help. He didn't have a choice.

Limping as fast as he could, Jay made his way back to the kid, needing to at least warn him about his plan of going, fully aware he was losing precious time by going back, but needing to let Barry know he wasn't abandoning him. Anyway, he tried to rationalize, rescue teams already knew there was trouble at the station and they were already on their way.

When he made it back to the other speedster, Barry almost looked dead, almost. The only signs he was still alive being his rapid, shaky and painful breaths, each one seeing more and more difficult. A small string of blood had appeared since last time at the corner of Barry's mouth. Kneeling next to the young man, Jay reached for the boy's shoulder with firm hand, trying to rouse him.

'Flash?'' He tried. ''You're with me?''

For a moment, there was no answer, other than the shaking he felt under his palm, the pain irradiating from the body that kept on growing colder. Sighting, Jay was about to give up until he saw the red masked head turning toward him, slowly but surely, eyelids fluttering before opening once more. There was so much pain and…confusion in them. Jay wasn't even sure the kid recognized him, he was getting from bad to worse and was getting there fast, too fast.

''I'll go search help.''

As he was getting up, a shaking hand reached and faintly grabbed his pants. The words that came out after only confirmed his confusion diagnostic and made his stomach sank.

''Dad…please. Stay. ''

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 **Don't be shy, leave a comment! I won't hurt you, promise!...Unless you're Barry, I can't resist hurting this poor baby.**


	2. Rescue team

**A/N: Somehow this chapter didn't came out the way I pictured it, hopefully you'll still love it. And thanks for the comments, sure helped me get this chapter ready so fast. I'm glad I wasn't the only one who think it was a bit lame the way the reveal played out in the show.**

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''Barry, it's me, it's Jay.''

The kid was totally out of it, struggling to even keep his eyes open, exhausted and drained by his injuries.

''Dad….sorry…m'fault.''

Alright, he already lost too much time on this and needed to go, find some help. But, he also needed to reassure the younger Flash before going, for some unknown reason. Quickly and carefully kneeling back next to the younger man, Jay put a comforting hand on Flash's shoulder.

''It's ok, son. You're fine now.''

Despite never having children he sure hoped his caring tone was going to get through. The effect was immediate, the corner of the speedster' mouth started twitching as he was trying to smile.

''L've…y…''

''I'm coming back, Barry, just hang in there.''

The short talk seemed to have reassured, calmed, the speedster down, as his body finally relaxed, his arms falling limply on his sides. For one terrifying second, Jay feared the kid was more than just unconscious. Swiftly making sure he wasn't, Flash sighed and got back on his feet, throwing one last quick look at the fallen speedster.

''You'll be fine, I promise.''

Determined to save the kid's life, Jay urgently walked away, ignoring all the pain sent by his body, going straight to the rubble pile next to the broken train. Taking a deep breath, he started to carefully maneuver his broken ankle and painful body around and over the debris, repressing grunts of pain as he was making his way to the top. Making it there was the tough part, almost falling off one time or two, barely catching himself at the last second. Just as he made it to a point where he was finally able to see pass the obstacle and straight into the tunnels mostly spared by Geomancer's earthquake, Jay smiled. While the debris and part of the ceiling were all over the floor, Flash could picture a trail all the way 'til the turn a couple of hundred feet away.

As he started moving again, his bad ankle betrayed him, sending him rolling all the way down and hitting his head on the landing. As dark spots clouded his vision and a bell rang in his ears, the speedster immobilized himself waiting for it to stop, waiting for his senses to come back to him. When they finally did, that's when he heard, or at least thought he did, heard someone calling his name.

''Jay!''

''Are you ok?''

''Flash! Can you hear us?''

Hurry footsteps could be heard closing in on his position and as Earth 3 Flash's vision cleared itself, he observed feet right next to him and felt hands landing on his shoulders. Rising his head, he finally identified the people surrounding him; this Earth's Team Flash. They were almost all there, Cisco and Caitlin were kneeling next to him while Joe was standing behind, his glare piercing through the darkness. If Jay was there, Barry had to be close.

The first thought that came to the Flash's mind was _*How much time did I lose again?*_ Last clear memory was a free tunnel for hundreds of feet. Were all these people just around the corner or he lost consciousness without realizing it? Was it too late to save Barry?

Barry! The last moments he had with the younger speedster came rushing back to his mind, making him push his pain aside and struggle to get up, without taking a second to answer to the people surrounding him.

''Jay, don't move.'' Said Caitlin as she was trying to identify his injuries under the dim light of Cisco's flashlight.

''Where's Barry?'' Asked Joe behind.

''We need to get to him.'' Answered Jay, ignoring Caitlin and slowly pushing himself up, taking support on the train. ''He's hurt, bad. Real bad.''

He didn't need to look at the people surrounding him to imagine the horror striking their features. While it was a possibility they probably all thought about before entering, you can't blame anyone for hoping their friend was just trapped and waiting patiently for the rescue team.

''Where is he?''

''How bad?''

''Bad.'' Repeated Jay as he finally managed to stabilize himself without support, gesturing toward the pile of debris. ''He's right on the other side of this. A piece of metal is impaled in his side.''

''Oh god…'' Whispered Joe, trying hard to keep it together as he approached the obstacle, trying to figure out how to get over it quickly, Cisco by his side, while Caitlin stayed close to the speedster to collect as much information as she could.

''Was he still conscious?''

''He was at first, was in a lot of pain. Pretty sure he's having some really bad internal bleeding.''

''He told you anything?''

Jay unconsciously slightly moved his head to the side, trying to hide his own worry.

''He was…. really confused. Didn't know who I was anymore.''

This caught the attention of both men who were trying to solve their own problem.

''What do you mean? '' Asked Joe.

''He called me dad. He thought I was his dad.''

The speedster didn't missed the looks Team Flash shared with each other, making him frowned and almost comment on him, but stopped himself. This clearly wasn't the time. Unless it was? Cisco speaking urgently interrupted the debate in his head.

''I think I got a bad idea; what if I use my powers to knock the pile off?'' As he was talking, his right hand went straight for his jacket's pocket to take out his Vibe's goggle. ''Good thing I brought these just in case''

''Cisco, wait.'' Worriedly said Joe. ''Aren't you risking the remaining of the ceiling to fall on our heads?''

''Or on Barry's head.'' Added Caitlin.

''Not if I do it correctly…'' Definitely doubt in the engineer's voice. ''You have any better ideas?''

''Whatever we decide, we need to decide it NOW. Barry needed help like yesterday.'' Added Jay.

''Alright. I trust you, Cisco. '' Decided Caitlin. ''Just do it.''

Scanning everyone around, everyone nodding at him, Cisco handed his flashlight to Caitlin as he mentally prepared himself for the surge of power. He needed to push just strong enough to disrupt the obstacle without causing the ceiling to collapse …or without sending too much debris toward the location of Barry.

''Alright, back away.''

Wishing he took his gauntlets with him to get better control of his powers, Cisco put his hands in front of him, sending waves of energy collide with the metal and wood pieces, sending them fly away and collapsing the pile at the same time. But, it wasn't without shaking the tunnel.

''Caitlin, watch out!'' Screamed Jay, promptly pushing the doctor out of the way before a falling metal piece could hit her head. 'Argg!'' He screamed as his ribs, back and ankle reminded him of his own injuries. Caitlin quickly freed herself out from under the speedster and rushed to his side as she heard him scream.

''Dammit, you _ARE_ hurt.''

''I'll be fine, it's just my ankle.'' Pushing through the pain once more, the speedster used his hand to keep Caitlin away and got back up to look at the results. Despite a couple of new debris and lot more dust in the air, they did it! Barry's location was right ahead.

''Right there!'' He pointed.

''Barry!'' Everyone screamed and hurried there with the stretcher and medical bag they put on the floor right after finding Jay a moment earlier. They didn't need Jay's indications anymore, all of them spotted the falling speedster, unmoving. As soon as they pointed him with the flashlight, the whole team gasped at the same time. Barry was pale and still enough to be dead.

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 **Leave a comment!**

 **And quick informations for those following my other works; if time allows it, I'm considering taking back When Fear Strikes and finish it if some of you are interested.**

 **There's also a quick one-shot, slighty AU, from one of the S3 episodes coming up in the coming weeks since the show has yet to give me my dose of hurt!Barry (I'm so evil I'm sorry...but not sorry!) and...Wounds of the Soul is NOT dead, it's being re-edited by my new , awesome, Betareader and new chapters are in progress. Stay tune!**


	3. Secrets

**A/N: Sorry it took so long! This chapter proved to be way more trickier to write than I thought and I made the decision to write one more after this one. Might be a little while before the final chapter, since I'm working on couple of stories at the same time. Wounds of the Soul next chapter is coming this friday.**

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Joe was walking backward and forward in the hallway right outside the cortex, unable to keep inside all the anxiety he was feeling right now. How long has it been since his foster son disappeared with the doctor and Cisco? At the same time, it felt both like hours passed or only a couple of crawling minutes. There was barely any life left in the young hero by the time the team made it back to the lab, they weren't even sure he was going to survive this long, but Barry was a real fighter. Not that any of them didn't know that already. He was so pale, so cold. If it wasn't for Caitlin checking on the young man's vitals all the way back, nobody would've guessed he was still with them.

With every passing minute, Joe's mind was going a little more wild. The rational part of his mind was telling him that if there wasn't any news yet, it's simply because Caitlin and Cisco were still working on getting Barry stabilized and on his way to recovery. But, the other part of his brain bombarded him with terrifying pictures of his already dead son and his friends too devastated to deliver the news. The detective didn't even want to get back in the cortex and close on the medical bay to try and see what was happening, too terrified of what he might find.

Joe had already called his daughter and she was on her way, but for now it was only him and Jay Garrick. Earth 3's Flash had taken place behind the cortex desk, chair turned toward the hallway, as he didn't want to pay any attention to all the noises and the activity coming from the medical lab. He wasn't exactly paying attention to the other man walking none-stop a couple of steps away from him either. It was like the older speedster was lost in his thoughts. To be fair to both of them, it wasn't like there was anything anyone could say or do right now, not until they knew Barry would make it. The words that came out of Garrick's mouth, moments later, only confirmed his state.

''It's probably not the best time, detective, but something's been bothering me. ''

Joe stopped in his movement and the thought of not answering came to mind at first, but there wasn't exactly a long list of stuff to do to keep busy right now. Not to mention that Jay was the one who took them straight to Barry just in time.

''What is it, Jay?''

''When I told you that Barry confused me with his dad, you all looked at each other.''

Oh that, not exactly a subject Joe wanted to talk about right now, better brush it off for a moment or two.

''Jay, listen, it's just…''

''Before you finish your sentence, don't try to tell me it was just worried for Barry's state. There was something more. ''

Ok, he was perceptive. Joe sighed.

''It's not my secret to tell. ''

''Look, detective.'' He carefully added, weighting every word. ''I don't mean to pry, but I'm not blind, I'm saw the none-so-subtle looks you all gave me the day you saved me from Zoom, especially Barry's. The kid could barely look at me, even now. And now, there's what happened tonight. I'm no judging, just trying to understand.''

Joe pressed his head on his forehead, massaging it, like he was hoping that gesture was going to magically help him figure the right thing to say.

''Look, Jay, it' nothing personal, things are just complicated.''

''If you don't want me around, I can go back to my Earth and not come back.''

Joe sighed, looking at the ceiling and turning around, moving away a couple of feet. Of course Jay was making everything awkward, but he didn't want the older speedster to go. Joe's detective instincts were telling him he might just be the one none-evil speedster mentor that could keep an eye on his son.

Making his decision, Joe turned around to face Earth 3 Flash.

''Alright, I will tell you.'' The detective took out his phone, scrolling through the functions for a long enough moment for Jay to uncomfortably shift on his chair, almost trying to get up despite his injuries. Joe finally turned the phone's screen toward the older speedster, what Jay saw was somehow both the last thing he expected and the more obvious one. Jay reached for the phone, getting it closer to examine the picture, there it was, Barry and ...himself. Or at least, his doppelganger on this Earth, smiling, arms of both men around the other's shoulders.

All the sudden, everything made sense, everything became clear.

''You know my doppelganger.'' That was the obvious part and it somehow made Joe look uncomfortable, shifting most his weight from one leg to another.

''He is...was Barry's father.''

That sure explained it and it somehow wasn't feeling as much of a shock as it should've been. Jay felt like some part of him already knew it, somewhere deep inside. Every clue was there, it surely explained why the kid reminded him so much of himself or why he felt connected to the younger speeder, it wasn't just about sharing the same power.

''Wait you said 'was'?'' A small nod was all the confirmation he needed. ''What happened?''

''Zoom killed him, couple of days before we freed you.''

''I'm sorry...'' No wonder they all looked at him like they've seen a ghost that day they freed him.

''What are you gonna do with that information?''

''I ...I don't know.'' Was there a guide about what to do with your dead doppelganger's son from another Earth?

Footsteps made themselves heard, prompting both man to stop talking and turn around to witness an exhausted, bloody, Caitlin coming their way. Joe's heart skipped a beat, or two, at her sight. All he could see was the way she was looking down, her blood stained lab coat…he just knew it.

''No…'' His body weakened, sending him tumbling, barely catching himself up to the desk to keep his balance.

Caitlin must've made the connection between her appearance and the detective's reaction as she quickly corrected the situation by talking up:

''No no! It's not like that. Barry's condition is serious and he's not totally out of the wood just yet, but he's still alive. I was able to stabilize him the best I could, thanks to his powers. It was really close, but I think he has great chances to make it through.''

''Oh thanks god!'' Muttered Joe under his breath, his body still shaking under the shock.

Even Jay let go of his breath he didn't even realized he has been holding. It was one thing to learn about being the doppelganger of the Flash's father, it was another one to find it while he was possibly dying. Stable was a sure improvement compared to dying.

''Thanks, Dr. Snow. ''

''Call me Caitlin, Flash.'' She tried to smile despite the circumstances.

''Call me Jay. ''

Too busy smiling at each other, both of them missed Joe finally getting a grip on himself, straightening himself back up.

''Can …can we see him now?''

''Cisco is helping me getting him comfortable, I'll come get you when he's going to be ready.''

The doctor started to turn around to get back to the lab, only to be interrupted by Jay one last time, pushing her to turn around.

''Once he's ready, can I have a moment alone with him?''

''Sure'' She instantly answered without even consulting with Barry's foster dad and smiled at the speedster. As she was turning around one more, she caught a glimpse of Joe's face, confirming her approval.

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 **Leave a comment**


	4. Never Alone

Once the injured hero was finally resting as comfortable as he could in his state, all the blood cleaned from his body and his wide wound now hidden under a white bandage, Caitlin was finally able to take care of the other Flash. The older speedster was sitting shirtless on a chair in the medbay, letting the doctor take care of his ankle once she was done with the rest of his wounds; she had just finished bandaging his wounded ribs while his back injuries were already almost completely healed. As Caitlin was working, Jay kept a close eye on Barry. On the other side of the bed, Joe was sitting in complete silence, observing each movement of his foster son with eagle's eyes, taking in every detail of the boy's vitals and his breathing pattern.

''Arrgg.'' The gasp of pain escaped Jay's lips as the doctor put the ankle,that had already started to heal wrongly, in place.

''Sorry.'' She apologized softly, but not stopping in her cares.

''No need.'' His attention turned back to Barry who almost looked like he was peacefully sleeping if it wasn't for the nasal cannula sending oxygen into his system, the huge white bandage covering most of his naked torso and medical equipment on his upper body to closely follow his vitals.

Even without deep medical knowledges, a glance at the young man's vitals was all it took for everyone to confirm he wasn't in a very great shape.

''I should've stopped him from going back in the tunnels, I knew it was too late. Should've known he wouldn't listen my warning.''

''Don't beat yourself up with that, Jay, when Barry puts his mind into doing something it's not that easy to stop him. '' Reassured Caitlin, as she was bandaging the broken ankle. ''Last time we had to lock him up in the pipeline to stop him from going after Zoom.''

Jay sighed.

''You're probably right, but still...''

He paused to look at the screen in the cortex that was now playing the news for Cisco and Iris, both of them trying to keep their attention busy on something else than waiting for Barry to get better. At this distance, Jay couldn't quite see or hear everything, but he caught most of it; the rescue teams were still searching the rubbles to see if there was anyone trapped and the authorities were still trying to figure out if everyone was accounted for. Hopefully, there will be good news to tell the speedster when he'll decide to join the world of the living again.

''There you go.'' Concluded Caitlin, getting up. ''You should probably try to stay off your feet for a couple of hours and you'll be fine. How's your head? ''

''It's fine.''

Caitlin just stared at him, raising her eyebrows.

''Fine fine or speedster pride's fine?''

''It's not my first concussion, it will be fine by morning.''

Was stubbornness a side effect of the speed force or the speed force just had a type? Giving up on argumenting, Caitlin rolled her eyes and gave in.

''You're lucky you didn't hit your head harder. ''

''How's Barry?'' He said, changing the subject.

''Same.'' Sadly stated Joe's voice who heard every word they said.

''Well, considering his condition, all the blood he lost and the internal damages I took care of, it's amazing he's not getting worse. Not to mention he hit his head a lot harder than Jay, he's probably not gonna wake up for many more hours and he might be confused when he'll comes around. ''

''Guess I will be staying off my feet for a while.'' Concluded Jay, shifting in his chair 'til he was able to found the most comfortable position to watch over the younger speedster.

 *****FLASHFLASHFLASH*****

Just as the doctor predicted, the speedster slept for many more hours as the sun started to make his daily way down, leaving his place to the darkness while Joe got called away by captain Singh, pushing the detective to unwillingly leave his son's bedside. He almost made up some excuses to get himself out of it but gave in, knowing Barry was under good care and it gave Jay the time alone he requested for with the young hero. That and knowing Singh wanted to talk to him about what happened in the underground train tunnels. _Oh great_ , he thought, an officer probably recognized him when he sneaked past the security line with the rest of the S.T.A.R. Labs team to get in.

''Take care of my son.'' He told Jay just before leaving.

Strangely, despite being the one who asked some time alone with the young man, when the opportunity finally came, Jay had no idea what to do, or say, other than just sit there. But, somehow, doing that felt good. It wasn't feeling like doing nothing, it felt like he was watching over, was protecting the kid, something he failed to do earlier in the tunnels.

A groan of pain pushed him out of his head and thoughts and back to reality where Barry's head was moving from one side to another in discomfort. Turning around to see that no one else was in the cortex or the medical bay at the moment, Jay took all his attention back on this Earth's Flash.

''Barry? ''

The head turned in the direction of the voice, eyes struggling to open, full of pain, struggling to focus on the face in front of him. Caitlin did say his injuries could still affect his mind.

''You're safe, you're going to be fine.''

It was half-opened green eyes that finally met his own, finally seeing the figure in front of him.

''Dad? ….. Happening?''

No doubt about the confusion still being there, but this time, the older hero was ready for it and could handle that.

''It's ok, son. You're fine now.'' He tenderly said, repeating his exact words from the tunnel without realizing it.

''Dad…hurt.''

''Go back to sleep, Barry. You're going to be just fine next time you wake up.''

''Don…'t…..g…o''

''I'm not going anywhere, not this time. ''

Barry blinked a few times, like he was trying to assimilate the information he just got. Tears formed in the corner of his eyes. ''Don't…lea..ve.'' He repeated, each word more difficult and slow to pronounce than the last one as the eyelids slowly got heavier.

''Go back to sleep, I'll be there when you need me.''

Watching Barry go back to sleep, Jay couldn't help it but try to picture how life was in his doppelganger's skin, trying to imagine that the man before him really was his own blood, his son. His wild mind sent him images of himself putting to bed a young, afraid, 10 years old Barry Allen.

''I'm not leaving, son.'' He repeated to himself as a promise. When they came back to the lab and Joe told him about Henry, he had no idea what he was going to do with that knowledge, but now he knew; he was definitely going to keep an eye on that kid.

 *****FLASHFLASHFLASH*****

''Take it easy, you're safe. '' Said Jay as Barry woke up for the 3rd time, but the first time lucid and really aware of his surroundings, almost 48 hours after the tunnel incident.

Of course, the first thing he tried doing once awake was to move around and try to sit up, possibly more if it wasn't for Jay and Caitlin gently but firmly pushing him back. His movement was suddenly stopped as he groaned in pain and protectively wrapped his arm around his body, the sharp pain sending him back in a laying position, eyes shut tight for a second.

''Happened?'' He asked, almost whispered, between two hiss of pain.

''You almost died, that's what happened.'' Growled Caitlin, unhappy to see him push himself the second he was finally awake, not that it really surprised her.

''The tunnel collapsed on you, _two days ago_ , and you got impaled on a piece of metal.'' Completed Jay.

''Explain the...pain...oww.'' Opening his eyes again, the young hero looked down at the huge bandage on his side and decided it was probably better to stay still for a while.

''How do you feel?'' Asked Caitlin a lot more softly this time. ''How's the pain?''

''Endurable.''

''What do you remember?''

Barry frowned in concentration, trying to remember how he ended up in the med

''Tried getting people out...'thing was collapsing...the pain. Everyone?'' He asked pitifully.

Typical Barry, just learned he almost died and his first question was about the people he tried to rescue.

''Dad just called from the station.'' Said Iris' voice as she entered the medical bay, putting her phone back in her pocket. ''Apparently everyone has been accounted for and the rescue teams haven't found a single person in the tunnel. There's a lot of injured people at the hospital, but they'll all make a full recovery. You did it, Barry, got everyone in time.''

Barry nodded absently.

''You okay?'' Worried Iris.

''Yeah it's just, I swear my dad was there.'' Looking down, he didn't noticed the uncomfortable glances between the 3 people around his bed.

"That would be me.'' Finally spoke up Jay, prompting Barry to raise his head. ''Joe told me everything, about your dad. I'm sorry. ''

''Oh'' Was the only answer for a long moment. ''Should've told you earlier...It's just...''

''It's ok, don't have to explain it. '' The older speedster interrupted and smiled.

''It's just, I wasn't ready to get another dad I could lose. ''

''Don't worry, kid, I'm not going anywhere. ''

They both knew it wasn't exactly true, Jay will soon need to go back to protect his own Earth., but it somehow didn't matter. Even if Henry was gone and the oldest speedster was gonna leave soon, Barry still felt like he was never going to be alone and orphan again.

 **THE END**

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 **A/N: Leave a comment.**

 **Fun fact; the title actually came from the Nickleback song 'Never gonna be alone' since, like this fic, it's about a death father who's still around somehow.**

 **Take note that I'm taking a small holidays break, I'll be back in the first week of January with news chapters, including one Wounds of the soul. Happy Christmas/New Year/Holidays to everyone!**


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